OKay, my throat feels like its closing up sometimes. It gets really bad when i try to eat something. Sometimes i feel like my food doesn't even digest and like it'll just get caught in my throat. I have pretty bad anxiety. Sometimes i feel like i will stop breathing, i even feel like there is a tight band around my throat sometimes. I dont understand any of this and its very scary! Help please

Hi MP1465 and welcome to ehealth: What you are experiencing is called "panic"....It probably has or will happen to just about all of us in our lifetime...Some wake up in the middle of the night and can't breathes and others will feel their blood pressure rising...I will agree that it is scary, but I also know that you can fight yourself and get rid of it...

When this happens, relax...Tell yourself that you are OK...Tell your mind that it is playing a trick on you...And relax...Life is filled with scary things and this being only one of them...

If this continues to happen you may want to talk to your doctor to see if you need any help...Possibly your blood pressure is up or else just maybe a trip to the doctor will help make you feel better that all is well....Take care...

Thank you, yes I've been to the doctor and one of my "panic attacks" sent me to the ER about two months ago. All the doctors say everything is fine and that its only my anxiety, its just hard to believe. Im heading back to college soon and really don't want to have these issues everyday while im there! if anyone else has any other advice i would love to hear it! thanks

Hi i suffer from anxiety too, and its driving me mad! some days are better than others, just when i feel ive got over one thing, i get something else! however through all this, even when im not feeling particularly anxious i feel the sensation that my throat is very tight, almost as if there is an elastic band around it... or i get the sensation like when your larynx is gently pushed. i can also often feel that my food is not being digested, like it is stuck plus it can feel unnatural when i swallow, a real discomfort. my breathing also feels bad most of the time too, like i cant take a deep enough breath. ive been like this on and off for two years, this last bout has lasted around 2months where the build up of it has nearly given me a nervous break down. I just wish i changed my lifestyle and seeked help a long time ago so it would not have got this far. i would give anyone the advice of seeking help with groups, exercise, eating well and relaxation. Also try and surround yourself with positive people if that is possible, if not, try reading funny books to concentrate on. We all have to accept there is no magic cure but we are able to help ourselves to some extent. our sub-concious can do the most strangest things, its our muscles and nerves that give us sensations, and our brain that controls those. i hope this eases for you soon, however i would suggest that you ask your doctor for a help group or councelling to nip this in the bud. Anxiety is like a plant, it you feed and nuture it, it will grow.

Hi i suffer from anxiety too, and its driving me mad! some days are better than others, just when i feel ive got over one thing, i get something else! however through all this, even when im not feeling particularly anxious i feel the sensation that my throat is very tight, almost as if there is an elastic band around it... or i get the sensation like when your larynx is gently pushed. i can also often feel that my food is not being digested, like it is stuck plus it can feel unnatural when i swallow, a real discomfort. my breathing also feels bad most of the time too, like i cant take a deep enough breath. ive been like this on and off for two years, this last bout has lasted around 2months where the build up of it has nearly given me a nervous break down. I just wish i changed my lifestyle and seeked help a long time ago so it would not have got this far. i would give anyone the advice of seeking help with groups, exercise, eating well and relaxation. Also try and surround yourself with positive people if that is possible, if not, try reading funny books to concentrate on. We all have to accept there is no magic cure but we are able to help ourselves to some extent. our sub-concious can do the most strangest things, its our muscles and nerves that give us sensations, and our brain that controls those. i hope this eases for you soon, however i would suggest that you ask your doctor for a help group or councelling to nip this in the bud. Anxiety is like a plant, it you feed and nuture it, it will grow.

Crackers30 thank you so much! i get that tight elastic band feeling its the worst! i also sometimes think that i will just stop breathing and my mouth feels weird alot of the time. i am constantly feeling my pulse and touching my face because its how ive learned to cope with it, its very annoying. hah i hope i can get past this soon! i also went to an allergist and found out i have asthma and pretty bad allergies which ive never had before so i think this is all factoring into my anxiety. i am so scared that all this is going to kill me when in reality it probably wont.

I've had Anxiety on and off for 5 years. Had it beat for the last 3! I have a (what doctors call) a Upper respiratory infection. As most of you with anxiety know ANYTHING that affects your breathing gives you nervousness. I have the irrational fear that it's not a URI but something serious since the doctor didn't really do anything to reassure me. Now my worst symptom is feeling like I'm breathing through a straw at the back of my throat. That goes with the tight feeling in my breathing tube from the "URI". Still not SURE it's anxiety because before when I had it it mainly felt like I just couldn't catch my breath not that my throat was closing by my tongue. It does seem worse when I think about it. Do any of you get this feeling almost like if it got and smaller you'd make a snoring sound? Any reply would be appreciated!!